


Tonight I Might Fall In Love, Dependin' on How You Hold Me

by OfButtsAndBombs



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amy Santiago Loves Jake Peralta, Attempt at Humor, Beds, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-12 02:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20163820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfButtsAndBombs/pseuds/OfButtsAndBombs
Summary: He breaks off suddenly, out of breath and gasping. His face has turned red. Amy has a feeling that if she could see his eyes, they would be glistening.Jake and Amy go to a sleepy town in Pennsylvania to investigate a murder.After ages of mutual pining that is obvious to everyone but themselves, will Jake and Amy stop holding back, and finally take the plunge?Canon divergence after 2×20.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! The title is borrowed from the song 'Brown Skin Girl', by Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, Beyoncé, and Saint Jhn (also Blue Ivy) ; from 'The Lion King.'  
I heard that song and the lyrics are SO good, I just had to use them for a title. So maybe I wrote a fic just for that. Maybe.  
Also, go give that song a listen. It's beautiful, and I think the words can resonate with any-colour-skinned-person.  
This was meant to be a one-shot ; but I clearly have no filter nor boundaries when it comes to writing B99 fic, so I wasn't really surprised when it turned out to be a multichapter.  
Also, I do not live in the US and all my knowledge comes from the Internet, and if there are any discrepancies or deviations from reality, you may blame Google :D  
Thanks for reading! Love you guys!

99th PRECINCT, NYC  
2 PM

"You think you'll be up for it, Peralta?"  
Jake looks at Holt with a comically offended expression. "I can't believe you would doubt your finest detective like that, sir. If anything, you should ask _Santiago,_ if -"

"Hey!" Amy cries, shoving him just a little, not too much, having midway realised that they were in front of _Captain Holt_, and what would he think of her if she got riled up so easily in the face of stressful situations? She immediately composes herself, clearing her throat and clasping her hands in front, 'business!!' written all over her face.

Said Stressful Situation a.k.a. Jacob Peralta continues without paying any attention to Amy's attempts towards professionalism, "- I mean, she still might be in grieving after she was _late to your house_ for dinner-" 

Amy bites the inside of her cheek. He was treading dangerous waters now. _Why did he have to remind her? She was almost over it!_

Holt pays no attention to the - what he would have labeled 'melodrama' - unfolding before him. Or maybe he did - who could tell with Captain Holt? Certainly not Amy - but boy, was she trying hard. Unfortunately, this was one field in which Jake seemed to have much more success than her - a fact that gnawed at her constantly. Right now, he seems to have sensed that Captain Holt was bored/tired/angry/annoyed/sad and stops speaking abruptly.

"Thank you," Holt says. "As I was saying, Peralta, you've had a rough couple of months-" 

"I'm absolutely fine, sir! Better than ever! I have never been stronger! I could take down a skyscraper full of terrorists on my own-"

This time, Amy _can_ read the quite blatant exasperation on Holt's face. She herself cannot stop a groan from escaping. Jake, satisfied at successfully infuriating the two most rigid people at the Nine-Nine, relaxes back into his chair. His job here is done.

________________________________

SQUAD CAR  
EN ROUTE TO BEDFORD, PENNSYLVANIA  
4 PM

"I can't believe Holt is still pissed at me for the whole Kevin-finding-out-Holt-was-stabbed situation," Jake complains, fiddling with the radio controls. 

Amy frowns at him. "What? No way. Come on, Holt isn't the type to hold a grudge-" 

"Ahem, 6 letters - W U N T C H -" 

Amy ignores him, beating away his hand from the dashboard "Don't change it - I like this song! I think Holt was genuinely worried about you." 

"Wow, Santiago, never took you for a Backstreet Boys kinda girl! Then, why would he try to keep me off the case? A case, which was one of the greatest solves of my life!" 

"_Our_ lives." Amy corrects, warily watching his hand hover near the radio again. "I grew up in the 90s, obviously I like the Backstreet Boys! And Holt is not trying to keep you off the case, Jake! He was looking out for you!" 

Jake scoffs. "First of all, aren't you an 80s' kid? And Two, I am _fine_. He's making a bid deal out of _nothing_". 

Amy purses her lips at the use of a 'first' followed by a 'two'. Jake has a pathological knack of bending the rules as he pleases. "Well, I was a teenager in the 90s, that's what I meant, and Holt is right, Jake. You've been through quite a bit this year." Her voice softens at the end.

Jake sniggers, rather louder than necessary for two able-eared people in a small car. "Amy as a teenager?!?!! LOL. I think you popped out of the womb as a doily-covered old lady!" 

Amy bites back a sharp retort. She knows what Jake is doing- deflecting any serious talk and repressing all emotions. Normally, she'd give in and continue their flippant banter, but something stops her this time. She stands her ground.  
"Holt is concerned about you, Jake. No offense, but you do have a tendency to- "

"Hello, I am very offended!" He pouts, quite like a petulant child.

Amy rolls her eyes."I didn't even say _anything_ yet!" 

Jake clenches his fingers. "I know what you're going to say! It's all anyone will ever say to me nowadays! 'Jake, you got hit by a car and now every time you laugh your left side will hurt, what a sad life! Jake, your dad let you down, again! Jake, Jenny Gildenhorn ditched you for another guy- _again_! Jake, you were kidnapped and almost killed by your ex- girlfriend's boss! Also, said ex- girlfriend brutally dumped you, after you told her you loved her! On top of that, Jake, you _still_ can't get over ' -" 

He breaks off suddenly, out of breath and gasping. His face has turned red. Amy has a feeling that if she could see his eyes, they would be glistening.

Her heart breaks a little at seeing him like this. Jake always put up a confident, joyful demeanor, no matter the circumstance. Sure, this was annoying when they were trying to discuss something serious, but Amy couldn't deny that he was the best at cheering her up, and despite herself, she was rather fond of being around him. He made the mood lighter, the air clearer, wherever he was. Watching him this way shakes her to her very core. 

She takes one hand off the steering wheel and tentatively places it on his arm, squeezing lightly. She was never one to be good with words, or feelings, for that matter, so she doesn't say anything, silently hoping he understands what she was trying to tell him. 

He starts a bit at her touch, looking down first at her hand on his arm and then at her face. He smiles a tiny little smile before going back to fiddle with the radio.

This time Amy doesn't stop him. She never liked Xtina anyway.

________________________

7:30 PM  
OUTSIDE POLICE STATION, BEDFORD

"....about only 100 people living here. We can just line them all up and find the murderer in an hour!" Jake whispers to her as they unbuckle their seatbelts and make their way to the tiny police station. 

"The population is actually 2721, so that's not very feasible- Also, who said the murderer was someone from town?" 

"Who said they aren't?" 

"Such a small town, things get around. It would have been solved easily- it would have never reached this high up." 

"Even though the murder was so weird and specific? The M.O. is exactly like our Branson case from 2011! It seems like some bored small-town weirdo is a copycat!" 

Amy thinks back to that case, one of the greatest cases she'd ever worked on. The serial murders had started upstate and worked their way to the city - six precincts and Major Crimes were working it simultaneously, and it had been Santiago and Peralta, two junior detectives from the 99 who finally cracked it and found the murderer. Amy had been thrilled when they got accolades from the _Mayor_, Jake had been exhilarated to see their names in the newspaper. The actual perp was still in prison, but the death of the young girl in Bedford followed the exact same pattern as the 2011 murders, and Jake and Amy - 'stars of solving weird murders' as Jake called them - were called to the scene.

"I'm telling you, it would have been much easier if the perp was from town. Anyway, the town is going to milk the 'crazy unsolved murder mystery' for years, to get publicity. I'm not sure how interested they are in solving it. Oh, here's Sheriff Warbleson - be nice!" 

Alfred Warbleson is a thin, wiry man, with a paunch that seems disproportionate to his gangly limbs. His unwrinkled face is a stark contrast to his balding head. He is also quite racist, possibly sexist - Amy isn't surprised. The town was 99% Caucasian and likely still existing in the 1950s. Still, it stings when he directs most of his greetings and questions to Jake - occassionally sparing her a curious glance. 

"...and Detective Santiago-" Jake says, emphatically, "- solved a similar case in 2011, so we're kind of, like, experts on weird murders."

"Mm-hmm," Warbleson nods, giving Amy an onceover. She wants to pull a face, maybe flip him off, but she forces herself to keep her cool. 

"We hope we can help you get to the bottom of this as soon as possible," She says, professional as always. "Do we go visit the scene now, or-" 

"Now? It's 8 o'clock, ma'am!" He laughs, an ugly laugh, and gives Jake a look, like 'did you hear what she said?' Jake, to his credit, doesn't respond at all; just stares back unflinchingly - but to be fair, Amy never expected anything less from him.

Warbleson shrugs. "I'll see you at 8, maybe 9 tomorrow. G'night, folks!" He walks off, scratching his armpit as he goes. 

Amy makes a face at his back. 

"What an asshole, right?" Jake mutters, incredulously. 

Amy sighs. _One of many._ She's met too many misogynistic and lazy cops to be surprised by this. She is suddenly gripped by a wave of gratitude for her Nine-Nine colleagues, some of the best cops, and people around.

She wraps her arms around herself. "Let's just get to the hotel. Maybe it'll be better in the morning." 

_______________________________

9 PM  
M TEL MAG IF C TÉ

She thinks it'll be better in the morning, but they still have to get through the night. 

Amy stares at the half broken neon sign that signals their arrival at _'Bedford's Best Beds!'_

_Bedford must have a very low standard for beds, _ she decides, taking a disdainful glance at the dusty two storey before her. Thank God she's brought her antibacterial wipes - not that she'd leave her house without them!

Jake notices her look of mild disgust and huffs out a laugh.  
"Almost 5 star, eh? Puts the Four Seasons to shame!" 

The teenager manning the Magnificenté (_what kind of fake fancyass name is that?_) reception holds a cigarette in between her lips, a cellphone in one hand and a half- eaten candy bar in the other. The smoke wafts towards them and Amy itches to ask her for a smoke - but she's trying to quit, and has cleaned out her purse three weeks ago. But she still has her emergency stash at the precinct, and at her gym, and in her car, and her apartment, of course...

She wishes she'd picked up a pack at the gas station, from where they bought their miserable dinner of bread and cheese slices - that they had fashioned into half- decent sandwiches in the car, and washed down with cheap beer. Neither of them are ones for cooking. Amy had tried not to comment on Jake's choice of toppings: mayo, honey mustard, and Tabasco sauce. _Ew._

"Hmmm?" the girl mumbles, looking down at her desk to find a place to keep the candy bar on the dusty, grimy surface. It takes her a minute to realise that she could put her phone down instead. Amy takes the opportunity to breathe in the second- hand smoke. She absolutely loathes the smell, but craves the nicotine. Jake steps back a bit, wrinkling his nose. 

"Hi." She holds the cigarette in her phone free hand, and looks up at them expectantly. 

_"Hi, can I steal a drag?"_ Amy thinks.  
"Hi, we called ahead a couple hours ago, booked two rooms...?" Amy says.

"Did you? Dunno, my shift starts at 8." 

"It must be in your database - or atleast written down somewhere." The desktop looks ancient.

"I don't know, actually." She drops her voice and leans in. "It's my sister's job, she asked me to cover cuz her boyfriend's comin' home tonight. From _college_", she adds, clearly proud of having a sister with a boyfriend in college. 

Amy balls up her hands. "Well, why don't you give the person who took the earlier shift a call, and ask-" she says through gritted teeth. 

Jake intervenes, lightly touching Amy's fist. "Do you have two empty rooms that we could book for the next couple of nights? That's all we need right now." 

She turns her attention to him, and gives him a long stare- it's almost a gawk. She seems to like what she sees, because she gives him a quick smile, one that makes her seem years younger - and probably closer to her real age- 

"Two rooms, huh?" She asks, looking slowly at Jake, then at Amy. 

"Two rooms," Amy barks, giving her a tight- lipped smile. 

27 minutes later, Jake and Amy are standing outside their respective doors. The girl- Jenna- had taken her own sweet time, finding keys and writing down their names and addresses in a grubby register. When she finally held out the keys, Amy had basically yanked them from her hand. They were on the second floor - Amy refused to sleep so close to the road and the ground. 

"So...goodnight." Jake said, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

"Yeah, g'night..." Amy mutters. She isn't looking forward to what most likely will be a troubled sleep. 

He nods at her, and enters his room. Amy is left alone on the verandah, cold and antsy. 

She dumps her backpack and duffel on the queen sized bed, trying to ignore the stained white sheets and dirty carpeting. She can get through only 70% of her brush routine. She looks at the rusty showerhead and contemplates taking a shower- wondering whether to forgo one in favour of a wake-up shower in the morning.  
She is exhausted, but sleep evades her. 

_Knock Knock_

Amy jumps up, hand immediately going to her left hip where her holster usually lies. 

_"Amy? Ames? Are you asleep yet?" _  
The sound of Jake's voice brings her back into action, and she throws open the door. The resulting creak makes them both wince. 

"There's no running water in my room, and I suppose I could just ask for another room, but..."  
He trails off, looking at her pleadingly. _But this is a remarkably sub par establishment with horrible service and appalling hygiene issues_ is left unsaid.

"Yeah, of course, c'mon."  
She wasn't getting any sleep anyway. 

She's inspecting the bed, taking off covers and hitting the pillows to get the dust out, when he comes back out. He chuckles at the sight. "Awww, Amy, what did that pillow ever do to you?"

"Make more jokes, Peralta and you'll get the same treatment." She mutters.

"Maybe I'd like that." He quips. 

Amy spins around to look at him just as he realises what he's said - and _implied._ "I mean-" he stutters, " -I don't-"

A year or two ago, such a statement by Jake would've been met by a scathing look from Amy and tittered laughs from any surrounding audience. Jake would be wearing a smug grin, hands on hip, air of confidence.

But now, things were kinda weird between them.

The fact that they had both liked-liked each other at some point in time that did not coincide - was out in the open.  
They'd had a strange but flirty moment at their weird friends' parents' wedding.  
Both of them were single now, yet both made a big show of how 'over' they were each other, anytime anyone (usually Boyle) insinuated anything different.

Amy raises her eyebrows. A good half minute has passed. "Let's see what you say when I'm done with you." She swallows and tries to look unconcerned, telling herself the ball's in his court now - (Her reply sounds awkward and weirdly sexual- but any reply she could think of, sounded sexual!! She just went with the first words that popped into her brain.)

"Title of your sex tape?" Jake ventures. And just like that, the spell is broken. She gives him the Santiago special eyeroll and he responds with the trademark Peralta shit-eating grin.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow..." He turns to open the door.

"Hey, do you want to watch a movie or something?" Amy asks, hoping she doesnt sound too desperate.  
She's been living on her own for many years now, but being alone in a strange room in a strange town is pushing her towards the edge. And Jake's company may be annoying but it is warm and soothing and fun and actually not that annoying at all.

Jake turns, eyebrows raised. Amy hopes he doesn't question it too much. He doesn't. 

He throws his bundled up clothes onto a very dusty side table (Amy cringes) and throws himself onto Amy's very neatly, very recently made bed. She groans. Jake doesn't listen, he's busy stretching his body towards the remote on the end table. He's balanced precariously, one more inch and he WILL fall. Amy teeters between wanting to watch him fall and wanting to _just turn the damn TV on!!_ She supposes she could just get up and get the remote herself, but her eyes are glued to Jake. 

"AHA!" he cheers, having reached the remote, touching it with the tips of his fingers. He lunges for it, but it falls to the floor. He moans. 

Amy smirks. "I'm going to take a shower." 

She feels weird, not wearing a bra in front of him, but the cardigan she has on doesn't make the fact too obvious, or so she comforts herself. That being said, the heating in the room is crap, and the sweater is not thick enough for Santiago level warmth. 

She walks back into the room, shivering. Jake is leaning against the headboard, watching - 

_"Tom and Jerry?!" _Amy laughs as she collapses onto the bed next to him. 

"There are 3 working channels, and your choices are : Tom and Jerry, Keeping up with the Kardashians, or the Exorcist." 

"Aww, I was hoping for Die Hard!" Amy exclaims, watching Jake carefully, with a sly grin. 

He turns his head so fast, he cricks his neck. The expression on his face is of pure, unbridled elation, like he's found out his birthday's coming a few months early.  
"Ames!? Oh my God, I did not know you liked _Die Hard_-" 

She can't take it anymore, his childlike enthusiasm is so dang adorable. She bursts into laughter and slowly the smile is wiped off his face, as he realises what she's done. "Cruel woman," he mutters, staring at the TV. 

Amy cannot take the cold in the air anymore- she buries herself inside the bed covers. "Oh, are you going to sleep?" Jake asks, surprised.

"No, no, it's just so cold out here!" 

Jake gives her a wicked smile and slowly starts tugging on the sheets covering her. She doesn't notice until a draft of cold air hits her ankle - "Jake! Stop!" She cries, pulling the sheets back. He laughs and lets go, and the inertia causes her to fall back onto her pillow with a thump, making him laugh louder. "That's for Die Hard," he declares.

They hardly watch any TV though - chattering away about their case. Tom and Jerry is good background noise. Jake is too scared of the Exorcist, something which Amy will make fun of him forever, and neither of them are ready to admit that they sometimes maybe kinda sorta watch 'Keeping Up' as a guilty pleasure. At one point Jake pulls the sheets over his legs, so he's sitting up with the blankets pooled around his waist. Amy's lying down, only her eyes visible over the sheets. After the shop talk is done, they trade insults and jokes back and forth even as their eyes are shutting, speaking through yawns. More than once, one of them suggests that Jake go back to his room, but then they find something else to talk about, and on it goes.

Amy wakes up in the middle of the night, her throat dry. She is negotiating the pros and cons of getting out of the strangely but deliciously warm bed, when she she starts wondering how the bed got so warm in the first place. 

"Oh!" 

Jake is sleeping next to her, flat on his back, mouth slightly open, one arm flailed out wide over her pillow. He looks years younger, and so innocent. Amy's mind flashes back to the conversation in the car and how devastated he looked then.  
He looks so much more peaceful now. Amy wonders what he's dreaming about. A tiny part of her wonders if he's dreaming about her. 

It's then when it hits her : _Peralta is in my bed?!_

All thoughts of water forgotten, she lays back down, careful not to touch his arm on the pillow, and stares up at the ceiling. She prays it won't be weird in the morning.

Their relationship has already been through more than they deserved. 

She falls asleep soon enough, basking in the heat he radiates, fighting her desire to go closer.

Jake also wakes up in the middle of the night. It takes him a while to realise why his body is betraying him like this, by waking up at such unearthly hours.That's when he notices the small, cold figure buried into his side, one leg on top of his and one arm over his tummy. 

Jake can feel himself blush. Many- a- times has he hoped for this, _dreamed_ of this. Of course, in his dreams, Amy _knows_ she's cuddling with him, and preferably it's a post sex cuddle, when both of them are naked and happy, but a random romantic cuddle also sounds good. Really, really good.

Dammit, he's not over her. 

Now, he's sure Amy's just drawn to his warmth, like a moth to flame. He sighs and makes one of the hardest decisions of his life. He knows if Amy wakes up and finds them in this position, she would get all awkward and it would be weird again. He just wants things to he normal between them- so many things have gone wrong for him recently, and Amy's always been there, like an angel. He cannot risk losing that.

He slowly picks up her arm and places it back next to her. He turns so he's on his side, facing away from her. He leaves her leg be. Maybe the poor girl does need some heat. He wouldn't want her to get hypothermia, because he was useless in all things health related and would probably have to watch her die in his arms, and that's another way to make a relationship awkward, right?

Also maybe, just maybe, he's enjoying her touch just as much as she's enjoying his. 

They don't wake up until Amy's alarm startles them awake at 7:30. 

_______________________

MEANWHILE IN BROOKLYN: 

Gina: Hey, Terry! What do you bet Jake and that other girl will sleep together on their cozy little vacation? 500 dollars that they def will! 

Terry: Amy. Her name is Amy. You've worked with her for 4 years! It's not a vacation, Gina, they're going for police work. 

Charles: Oh, are you talking about Jake and Amy? God, won't they make the cutest couple? I can imagine their wedding - not too grand or flashy, a medium sized affair, with -

Rosa shuts him up with a flying pen to his face and then goes back to her paperwork.

Gina: Well, I can guarantee some kissing- 100 dollars for that- , can definitely can predict the angst - no money for that, it's old now. If Santiago keeps her head on straight, they might go all the way- 

Charles: _sighs, like an Victorian maiden, clasping his hands in front if his chest and looking up at the ceiling. _

Rosa (without looking up) : I just hope they get it over with. The tension is getting too much. I can't deal with the drama. 

Gina, incredulously: Bitch, you call this drama? Let me tell you about my 6th fiancé -


	2. Part 2

9AM  
LULU'S DINER  
BEDFORD 

"It's _nine_, where is this man?" Amy mutters, hands wrapped around her coffee mug. 

"He said eight or nine, which translates to - I don't give a fuck and I'll turn up whenever I want." Jake says, putting down his second oversweet chocolate milkshake of that morning. 

"But I thought he texted you to meet here at nine!" Amy buries her face in her hands, trying to suppress a yawn. It doesn't work.

Jake chuckles, humorlessly. "He said and I quote - 'Hello Detective Peralta will meet u n the lady at lulu's in morning it is on main street .' It's a grammarly abomination."

"Well, I guess I'm glad he's not texting me then." Amy sighs. 

Jake cracks a smile at that but his face immediately turns serious. "Amy, that guy's a jerk, you- "

Amy clenches her jaw. "I know, Jake. It doesn't bother me that much. This entire town is bloody...weird." 

Jake furrows his brows in confusion at her mini-explosion and Amy sighs again. She didn't intend on telling him, but his expression - kind, understanding - makes Amy want to spill all her secrets. "I went to the reception at the motel this morning to ask if the heat could be turned up a bit. It wasn't Jenna, it was some middle aged female - she said - " Amy rubbed her hand over her face - "she said she couldn't do it, and then asked 'is it much warmer where I come from?' "

Jake winces. "Damn, Ames, sorry."

"Don't apologise, Jake, what good is that going to do? " A frown managed to escape her nonchalant exterior. 

Jake reaches out and squeezes her arm kindly - but then Amy looks up at him, startled - and he jerks his hand back, jolting her coffee so it spills all over table. They both jump up and start dabbing at it frantically with tissues, avoiding each other's eyes - which is when Warbleman enters, looking bored already.  
"Let's get going then," he says, while Jake and Amy sputter out apologies and explanations to him and the two young waitresses who'd come to watch the drama.

They follow him out, not looking at each other, having painfully been reminded of their awkward morning. 

\-------

They had woken when the alarm jolted them awake, both realizing at the same time that their legs were completely entangled in each other's, Amy's chest pressing into Jake's back. _She could see her drool on his shirt! _  
There was also the small (not really though) matter of Jake's erection outlined through the thin sheets for the entire world to see.

Amy had never rushed to the bathroom so fast, not even when she had to share one with three brothers. He wasn't in the room when she came back out, having brushed for 2 minutes extra. Her gums felt sore. 

He came back 10 minutes later, asking sheepishly if he could use the bathroom. A few poop jokes later, Amy felt that maybe the awkwardness was gone.  
_Clearly not. _

\-----------

Amy sighs as she gets into the squad car. Jake is driving. He seems to be doing everything he can to avoid looking at her. As she racks her brains to come up with a joke-y statement, all she can think about is Jake, asleep in her bed, his hair tickling her nose, her breathing in his scent...

She hadn't realised she liked Jake until he left her reeling when he went undercover.  
She hadn't realised exactly _how much_ she liked him until he joked with her at his coming back party, making her a ridiculous drink. He'd made a stupid joke then too, and Amy had thought the tension was gone. But then she'd broken up with Teddy, and all she could think about was Jake. Jake - who was very happy with Sophia. And she tried to get over him, she really did. She convinced herself it wasn't worth it, dating police colleagues, because it would get too messy- all the beat cops at the Nine-Nine and at Teddy's precinct knew their business now, _God,_ they loved to gossip. And then Jake and Sophia were done, and the tiny spark of hope she'd buried deep inside her poked its head up again - maybe, just maybe, this time, they could - 

But Jake had shown no signs at all about his previous feelings for her - instead making fun of how _she_ liked _him_ and was _hopelessly in love_ with him and thought he was _oh so handsome_. 

She'd pushed that spark right back down- where it belonged, and the both of them had fallen back into their old, tried-and-tested pattern of joking around and roasting each other.

_ It is easier this way._ She convinced herself. _He's your best friend. _

_But _ she still caught him looking at her with that lost-puppy look in his eyes. They'd be driving and he'd stare at her for a second too long. They'd be climbing stairs and she'd turn around to find his eyes on her ass. They would have a weekend off and he would be texting her all the time, memes and jokes and insults.  
He'd dance with someone else but gaze into _Amy's _eyes.

And then he would go right back to teasing her, mocking her, trying to get a rise out of her, completely unfazed.  
"It's all in the past," he'd say, and she'd have to agree, because Charles or Rosa or Gina would be watching.

At the back of her mind, a question arose. What always happened was - they would get too close, too intense, too sentimental, too _intimate_\- and then scramble to cover it up with a terrible joke, and move on like nothing happened - like putting a Band-aid on a gunshot wound. _How long would this dance go on?_

_______________________________

5PM  
POLICE STATION 

"What did Holt say?" Jake asks as Amy re-entered the room. 

"He wants us back by tomorrow evening. Says this case isn't a priority anymore." She shrugs.  
"He said to just gather as much intel as possible and then work it back home."

They turn to Warbleman, who doesn't seem to care that a murder in his town is being pushed down the priority list. He continues picking his teeth without a care in the world. 

Jake and Amy share an exasperated look. "The victim's mother is coming up from Ohio by 6:30, we're meeting her in Lulu's again, and then we're meeting the coroner in the morning, so I guess we'll leave after that." Amy says to Warbleman. 

He turns to look at her slowly. "Seem happy to be leavin' our little town, detective? Happy to throw the case in your abandoned pile? All in a day's work, eh?" 

Amy almost lunges at him because _how dare he insult her impeccable work ethic _ but Jake puts a warning hand on her knee and suddenly she forgets her own name, let alone this grubby policeman's.

_________________________

9 PM  
ROOM 10? 18? 13? THE ROOM NUMBERS ARE FADING - IT'S AMY'S ROOM.

They're on her bed again, still in their workwear, a sombre mood settling with the dust around them. 

The vic's mother had brought them near to tears with her quiet voice, defeated tone and heart- shattering story. The horrors never seemed to stop as she went on and on, and at one point Amy found Jake shifting closer to her in the booth till their thighs were pressed together- not that they'd been sitting too far away from each other in the first place.

Maybe the 'absent father- asshole lover - kidnapped by stranger' story of the victim( a 24-year old girl named Kelsey) resonated with him on a terrible level. Amy forgot the awkwardness between them as she looked at his morose expression and at one particularity depressing point, rubbed his back. He seemed to relax a bit and she was glad.

Her dad always told her she would get used to the ghastliness her job would bring. She couldn't wait for that day to come.

On her bed, Jake talks, playing with the corner of the pillows. "...we're just supposed to give our consultation and advice to the Pennsylvania police and leave? Will they even follow through? I can't stand not knowing if she'll ever get justice!"

Amy just listens to him, watching him ramble on whilst fiddling with the sheets, his phone, the remote and at one point - her sock clad feet. 

She knows he isn't thinking about it. She knows he's lost in his own world.

She also knows with sudden clarity that she's never stopped liking him, and seeing him like this makes her heart ache, a sob rise up in her throat.

She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. Jake doesn't need a confession from her right now. He needs her comfort.

And suddenly she wants to give him everything he ever needs. 

She shifts closer so that their knees are touching and takes his hands into her own. It's weirdly intimate, and she hopes her palms don't get sweaty. "I know. I'm sorry." She manages. "It sucks. It all just sucks. What happened to this girl...and what happened to you." 

He smiles wanly. It doesn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, Ames." He rubs his face and moves to stand up. "I'm gonna take a shower...you want to go first?" 

Amy shakes her head, and he grabs the towel he'd tossed onto the chair last night. For some reason, Amy felt weird to pick it up when she was tidying up in the morning.  
"Um, bye...I mean, see you?" He says before stepping into the bathroom. Amy rolls her eyes and giggles. 

He's a long time in the shower, enough for Amy to worry. Her head is filled with thoughts of Jake. To be honest, she's liked him for a long time. They've always had crappy timing, she registers with a wry smile.

She thinks of Jake standing with a box in his hand, saying _goodbye _with his voice and _I love you_ with his eyes.

She thinks of the twinge of disappointment she felt when he said he liked her, but it was many moons ago. 

She thinks of the way he looked at her, eyes twinkling, while he danced with handsy Aunt Susan. 

Maybe one day...maybe one day in the future, she could bring herself to tell him - but she can't bear the thought of having to get over him, having to quash her feelings for him, again.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she is sure she's going to have to do some heavy-duty quashing. As far as she knows, Jake is already over her. 

Then she thinks of him in the car, sad and angry. She thinks of the way he immediately got protective when Warbleman made yet another dismissive remark about her. She imagines him, right now, in the shower, hair plastered to his forehead, his neck tense with stress, water running down his solidly warm chest, over his tummy, following the trail of dark hair from his belly button to his- 

She stops herself, pressing her palms to her eyes. _Don't go there, Amy!_ She looks around for a distraction, and realises Jake has been in the shower for 25 minutes now _(which means she's been thinking of him nonstop for 25 minutes)_ \- a solid 20 minutes over last night's 5. 

The water is not running, but she can't hear anything else. She knocks on the door hesitantly. "Jake? You alright? It's just, it's been a while, just checking-" 

The door swings open, startling her and making her gasp. "Oh hey- its nearly been half an hour-" she stops, gulping. 

He's wearing nothing but a towel sitting low on his hips and Amy actively has to stop her eyes from roving over his chest and...elsewhere. He's still pretty wet. Amy's close enough to be able to count the droplets on his nose. She takes a step back, eyes focusing on his forehead so ardently, that she's sure it's evident to him that she's trying not to look...lower down.

On the bright side, the shower seems to have pulled him out of his funk, a little bit. Vaguely, she wonders why, but stops herself before her thoughts get too...sexual.

"Sorry- I didn't realise! I forgot to bring my clothes," he adds sheepishly. 

_Ooh, grounds for humor,_ Amy notes with relief. "Well, why don't you go get them?" She teases.

"Amessss! Please, get them from my room! I don't want to put on my day clothes - they're so sweaty and dirty- this whole town is a giant cobweb!"

"Jake, your entire apartment is a giant cobweb - not to mention your desk, and your locker-"

"Yeah, but that's New York City cobweb! It's _my_ cobweb - I grew it myself!" 

Amy shudders. "That you did." She turns to allow him to pass.

He doesn't move. "Ames, clothes, please, I'm going to catch a cold if I go out like this-" 

Amy gives him a look. Never has he cared about colds before. "Jake, I am not _rifling through your underwear_ -"

Jake guffaws, leaning on the doorframe. "Jeez, woman, just get my bag!_ God_. Nice to know where your mind immediately went, though." 

Amy colors, her pulse quickening. _Well, that was exactly where her mind had been, so..._

"Well, I'm sure your bag is just as gross!" She manages to say as she turns around and flees the scene of her crime. She can hear Jake chuckling. 

_Damn, Amy!_

She hauls his backpack to her room, making sure to not look around his room or into his bag, lest she find any stray underwear that reminds her of her discomfiture.

She remembers Jake telling her about the buttload of candy he'd brought. _No wonder its so darn heavy! _

He's still in the bathroom, she can hear him humming. She takes a step towards the bathroom. The door is still wide open, she should probably call for him, instead of just running inside like this, what if he's not decent - and yet she finds her feet propelling her towards the door, even as her mind screams NO and her heart screams YES. 

Jake pops his head out of the bathroom, making Amy stop in her tracks. He smiles widely, holding his arm out for the bag in her hands. "My saviour!" He jokes, taking the bag from her. Amy ducks to hide her blush. She lets go of the bag instantly when she realises his hand is going to brush hers, and the bag drops.

"Woah!" "Yikes, sorry-" 

They both scramble to catch it before it hits the ground.

The towel Jake had draped lazily around his bottom half wasn't made to withstand such athletics. It falls.

It's Amy's first out of body experience. She feels like her mind or soul or life essence - whatever - has stepped out of her body and is watching her physical form as it reacts to the spectacle unfolding in front of her. It happens in horrible slow motion. The towel falling off; Amy realizing what's going to happen before it does; Amy realizing she must immediately turn away; but Amy being frozen in place, her eyes on the prize. 

Jake takes a while longer, he's caught the bag in his arms before it touches down and triumphantly hugs it to his chest before he realises - _oops._ Their eyes meet in silent horror. Jake lowers the bag to protect his modesty, yelling:  
"Holy shit!"  
"Oh God-!"  
"What the f-"  
"I'm so sorry, Jake! I didn't look! I swear!" 

Amy swivels around, hands over her eyes, even though she's looking away from him, and collapses onto the bed, from where she can't see him anymore.

"I'm sorry!" She calls out again, unnerved by the silence on his end. "I just froze, the bag was falling, I just went to catch it, and I didnt even realise-" she rambles on, _why isnt he saying anything?_ "I'm not a pervert, God, that was so embarrassing, Jake, honestly, I'm sorry- " 

She's cut off by the sound of Jake's snorts and giggles. Tentatively, she crawls to the edge of the bed to where she can peer around the wall to see the bathroom entrance. He's pulling on a t-shirt, bottom half covered by more-enduring sweatpants, all the while _laughing, _ like it's all a big joke, like Amy hadn't felt half her living breath leave her body when she saw him see her see 'him'. 

It makes her irrationally angry, _how can he make everything a joke like this, so easily? Why couldn't he just say, "it's okay, no harm done!" and pretend it never happened, like a normal person? _  
She just knows he's never going to let this go- he's going to tease her till the end of time, everyone in the precinct will know - 

The rational part of her brain placidly tells her to calm down, that he's laughing because it is funny, that her anger is just a way of distracting herself from the image now burned into her mind- 

Jake continues laughing, and Amy explodes. She starts pulling pillows off the bed and throwing them at him with all the strength she can muster. "STOP LAUGHING, YOU BLOODY - "

This just makes Jake howl louder.  
"Hey, stop! - oh, Ames, your face, you were so embarrassed - _ouch!_ You have good aim - but your expression, I mean,you would think _I_ was supposed to be embarrassed, but Amy, you - oh!"  
He shuts up as a particularly forceful throw hits him in the face. 

She's out of pillows, face flushed, breathing hard. She sits back in bed and crosses her arms in front of her chest, expression sour. Jake appears in front of her, arms full of pillows and mouth still open in a huge grin. 

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "What happened, Ames? Never seen a - " 

_That's it._

"SHUT UP!!!!" She screeches, launching herself bodily at him, determined to _scratch_ that smile off his face if she has to - 

They tumble to the ground. Jake's features rearrange to those of surprise. They hit the ground with a thud, but Amy's stopped caring. She's on top of him, yanking away the pillows that he'd clutched to his chest, and then poking him and pinching him and prodding him and punching him- 

He's laughing again, and this just infuriates her more, and she finds herself screaming, "PERALTA I SWEAR TO GOD, GIVE ME ANOTHER REASON AND I WILL KILL YOU RIGHT HERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" 

"Ow! Haha - OW! Ouch, Amy - that hurt - Ames, come on- OH, HEY, C'MON, STOP!" 

She's deranged now, the emotions from today and yesterday and the last six months pouring out of her in oodles. She's going to show him how it feels, how it hurts, to love someone who doesn't love you back - 

As soon as this thought enters her mind she panics and nearly freezes -_ love?! Where did that come from?! _

Jake notices and seizes the opportunity. Before she can react, his hand is grabbing oboth of hers - _damn, when did he get so strong? _\- and using his other hand for leverage, he pushes himself up and with a whoosh, Amy's the one on the ground now, and Jake's straddling her. 

She struggles, of course she struggles. She's mad, she's not letting him have the upper hand now. But the part of the brain that is still somehow calm, says with a smirk- "Isn't this the position you wanted him in?" 

She opens her mouth to yell, but never makes it there. Jake's hand, the one not holding her hands, is on her stomach, and he's tickling her- 

Amy's very ticklish. She doesn't know if Jake knows that, but she is _extremely _ticklish- a fact her brothers have exploited since time immemorial, and she's sure Jake will soon learn to use to his advantage. She lolls around on the ground, mouth open in a silent shriek of mirth and pain, no noise coming out as her face contorts- because that's what happens when she's being tickled. And somehow, Jake has found the Spot. 

"Please, please!" she chokes out, tears rolling down her eyes, breathing hard as she tries not to laugh."Jake, no, please, stop! Stop!" 

He finally lets up, shoulders shaking from laughter. He doesn't loosen the grip on her hands though, and Amy wriggles with renewed energy. She kicks out at him, and he's losing balance, he's falling on her - 

Their noses are _millimeters_ apart.  
A beat passes.  
Then another.

There's a frantic knocking on the door. 

They scramble up, limbs flailing wildly as they struggle to keep balance, like kids caught eating ice cream in the middle of the night.


	3. Part 3

Jake opens the door. Amy smooths down her hair aggressively. 

It's Jenna. She's smoking a cigarette again, and when she adjusts her backpack, Amy hears the clinking of several glass bottles. 

Jake raises his eyebrows and exchanges a look with Amy. "Yeah?" 

"Hey! Umm," she looks from Jake to Amy and back again. "So my sister's boyfriend is having a party tonight, and I wanted to see if you'd like to go." She's talking to Jake, mostly, and Amy feels a pang of possessiveness. The calmer part of her brain looks up incredulously. _Jealous of a teenager, Amy? Grow up. _

Jake bites his lip, and Amy can see he's trying not to laugh. She knows he won't laugh in the girl's face, he's too kind for that. He's kind to everyone except Amy.

"Jenna, I'm honestly flattered, but we have to work tomorrow, also, ermm, we're really not from the same, um, generation -" 

"Don't worry, there'll be adults there!" She flicks her hair over her shoulder. " Lana's boyfriend is like, 25, and Kyle is dating our geography teacher and she turned 28 last month - according to Facebook atleast. She looks, like, 50 -" 

Jake's eyebrows are disappearing into his hairline. Amy just stares, open - mouthed. She wishes she was a naive teenager again- although to be honest, she would never be _this_ naive -

"- and Blake has some of his college gang over, so - hey, wait." She stops, peering at them suspiciously. "Are you really here for work?" 

"Yeah," Jake says, looking confused. "Why?" 

"Well, most of the guys that come here are people looking to have a sexy weekend with their mistresses. I thought you guys were the same- but then you booked two rooms." 

_Well, how does one respond to that? _

Jake looks flustered. "Haha, nope! No affairs here...we're colleagues- working with the Sherrif Warbleman-we'll be leaving soon-" 

Jenna stops. And stares."Sherrif - are you - are you cops?" 

They nod sympathetically. 

She backs away slowly, eyes wide, mouth opening and closing like a fish. She looks down at the lit cigarette in her hand. She throws it down.

"Jenna-" Jake begins, but she's taken off in a run. They stand at the doorway, hearing the bottles clink for a long time.

A cold gust of wind prompts Amy to tug on the door, forcing Jake inside as well. She turns and walks over to the bed, still reeling from that weird conversation.

Jake shakes his head in amusement. "How old did she think we were? 22?"

"Well, you look perfectly 33 to me." Amy smirks, extending her neck to see the pout on his face.

"Hey!" He protests. "And here I was, ready to say that you don't look a day over 25!" 

Amy ignores the shivers that run down her spine. _When did she get so shallow? _

She smiles. "Well, seeing as I just turned 24..."

Jake scoffs."Sure, and I'm Bruce Willis." 

Amy snorts, smoothening put the sheets before she can lie down. "Mhmm, yeah, and I'm Bonnie Bedelia." 

She waits for Jake to continue but when he doesn't reply, Amy looks up at him expectantly-

He's staring at her, slack-jawed, eyes dark. 

"Wha..." Amy says, but it's more like a breath than a word. 

"I could see that," he whispers, in a voice rougher than Amy has heard it before.

Silence.

_There it is._ The seriousness.The raw intensity.  
Amy waits for something to give, waits for the joke, the 'but'-  
It doesn't come.

_What's happening?!_ She casts around for an excuse, a cop out- the silence is too much, the air is too heavy. Jake is still staring at her, maybe he's waiting for _ her _to break the tension this time- 

_Is this it? Is it finally happening? _ She stares right back at him, unrelenting, daring him to clarify, to explain - 

But, she's also waiting for the phone to ring, the knock on the door, the distraction that the universe specially reserved for them, during moments like these.

But nothing happens. 

_Shit_. Looks like they're actually going to have to talk about their...relationship.

She gets a sudden flashback of Jake in the towel. Jake _without_ the towel.

_ Oh dear._

Amy can't take it anymore. She stands up. Jake looks as lightheaded as she feels.

"Jake. Why are you staring?" She gasps out. She can't deny it, she's a little bit afraid of what's to come.

To her surprise, he chuckles. "Finally, you asked. I thought you'd caught me gawking like an idiot too many times. But you never said anything!"

Amy opens and closes her mouth, now thoroughly confused. "What good would me asking do? You'd just make a joke out of it, laugh about how I'm imagining things, or how I'm obsessed with you, or something - "

He moved towards her. "Try me." 

"No." 

His face falls. "Ames-" 

"Jake, I can't- I can't do this, okay? I get it, you need time, you need space, but that doesn't mean you can make fun of me and brush off my feelings."

He looks at her, his expression miserable. "I wasn't-"

She feels a tug on her gut. She wants to kiss the sadness off his face. _So do it_, Rational Brain says. "I'm going to take a shower." Amy says instead.

She turns and rummages hurriedly through her bag. 

This is the moment she's been waiting for, for so long, and here she is, the first one to bow out. Who would've thought.

Jake walks towards her and Amy digs through her bag more frantically. She can't face him, it's too much, _where are her pants, fuck it, she'll just wear whatever she's wearing right now- _

_That _ part of her brain is looking disappointedly at her. _You fucking idiot. You've done it now. _

Jake reaches her before she can get to the door of the bathroom.  
He grabs her forearm and spins her around. 

"Hey!-"

"Amy." Hes looking at her with that strange look in his eyes, part pleading, part determined, part...excited? "Please. Try me." 

She swallows. She sends up a prayer to whoever is listening."No jokes?"

"No jokes." He hasn't let go of her elbow. His expression is so soft, she can feel herself melting.

"Jake." She takes a deep breath, steeling her mind, steeling her body. "You go out of your way to annoy me. You joke when anything gets serious. But you won't stop staring at me - with that- _that _look! What am I supposed to think? What - what do all these mixed signals mean? Why do you look at me like that, if it - _if I_ \- don't mean anything to you?"

By the end, her emotions have got the best of her and she's almost yelling.  
She looks at him, her chest heaving. 

He looks taken aback. _No. No no no no don't back out no no no. No. _

He looks at the ground. "Amy Santiago, I wonder why I expected you to go easy on me. You never half-ass things, do you?" 

She closes her eyes. "Jake-" 

"No- listen to me. I don't deserve you going easy on me, I know. And you do not do things by half- that's not the Santiago style. And that's one of the things I - I like about you." 

She snaps her head up. He's still looking down. "It's one of the many things I really like about you. I'm sorry you think that I've been dicking you around- I didn't want to, I _hate_ that I made you feel that way. I was just- scared. And so many things _happened, _ you know? And you were always there for me. I didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize our relationship. But I couldn't- and I tried, Ames, _I tried_ \- I couldn't pretend that I didn't like you. Hence the bad jokes - to hide. To hide what I felt. Hiding is easier than just faking that I didn't like you." 

"Hiding is just lying by omission," Amy whispers to him. He's gazes back, confused, and looking so young. He could pass for 22 if he wore the right clothes, she thinks. 

He gives her a wistful smile. "Ames. Try me." 

She asks with a little more force this time, hands on her hips, "Jake. Why do you keep staring at me?" 

He smiles, a little nervously, a little hesitantly. He leans in closer to her. Amy can feel his breath on her lips. "It's because I really want to -"

His phone rings.

_There you are, Universe! _ Amy thinks. This is so on brand for them, she isn't even surprised. It was inevitable. 

She moves back from him slowly. "Phone," she whispers. "I know," he whispers back. He doesn't make any effort to apply this knowledge to practical life.

The ringing stops, only to start again. Jake groans, puts a hand over his face and picks it up. "Hello?" His face goes through rapid changes in expression. "Oh. Oh crap. Just a sec.- " He looks at Amy.

"Ames. It's Charles. I need to go to my room, Terry has had a breakthrough on a case we were working on, and I brought the files here with me! I'm going to be in so much trouble if he finds out!" 

"Jake! Why ever did you bring them here?!" 

"Well, something to read on the toilet, I guess? Plus Terry said he wouldn't work on it till I got back!"

She looks at him, not amused.

"Okay fine, it was in my bag and I forgot about it." He grins, not at all ashamed. "I need to send Charles some pictures, I'll be right back." 

He smiles at her, rather sweetly, and then he's gone. Amy takes a shaky breath and leans on the wall to support herself. 

They had gone from a slow drive to escape velocity in the last five minutes, and now Amy was on the bathroom floor, feeling the ghosts of Jake's lips over hers. 

_I should take a shower_ she thinks, because her hands need something to do.

She's done rather quickly, the cold weather not allowing her to enjoy a bath without the fear that the hot water will run out, especially after Jake's half hour fiesta. She shivers as she comes out, clambering onto bed and pulling the sheets around her.

Jake isn't here yet.

She lays down, her mind buzzing with anticipation. _Was he going to kiss her?! Why wasn't he back? Was the phone call just a decoy so he could run back into his room, away from her?! _  
_Stay tuned to find out! -_ Her brain helpfully supplied. 

She doesn't know how, but she manages to fall asleep, her head filled with too many thoughts, some of them good, some of them bad, some of them downright heavenly. 

________________________________

11PM  
OUTSIDE AMY'S ROOM

Jake smacks himself in the forehead. "_Jacob, you fucking idiot- _"

It'd taken him nearly an hour to explain to Charles how to get Terry off his back, and now he'd locked himself out of Amy's room.

He knocked on her door, calling out her name, but she seemed to be asleep. At least he hoped she was asleep, and not ignoring him because somehow he'd managed to screw up everything, again- 

He groaned, leaning against her door with his forehead. The wind sent chills through his body. He was only wearing a t-shirt. Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he walked back into his room. He took out his phone, debating whether to call her - but he didn't want to wake her up if she was asleep. He knew how tired she was. His phone screen blinked - the 7% battery warning. His charger was in Amy's room.

"Greattttttt..." No way his battery would survive for tomorrow's alarm, and they'd be late, and Amy would be mad-  
Then he gets an idea.

Amy wakes again in the middle of the night- she has to pee. In the midst of all the Jake stuff, she'd deviated from her carefully crafted bathroom routine - brushing only for a minute and forgoing flossing completely, and apparently forgetting to pee. 

She comes back to her empty bed, wondering why Jake wasn't back, and pushing down the ' he got scared and fled ' thought. She checks her phone - it was 2 AM. She has a message from Jake, sent 3 hours ago - squinting her eyes, she opens it - 

_ Amessss i locked myself out of ur room and i guess ur asleep now lol also my charger is in ur room and my phone gonna die so ur gonna have to wake me up tmrw ive left the key under the mat gn cya byeeee :P _

He wasn't avoiding her. She heaves a sigh of relief, fluffing the uncomfortably soft pillows before lying back down-  
Then she gets an idea.

Amy steps into Jake's room, and immediately is hit by the musty smell, the room is in desperate need of airing- she isn't surprised, he'd spent most of the time in her room. He'd probably not even dusted off the sheets before crashing onto the bed. She gulps before slowly moving towards him. He's bang in the middle of the bed, on his back, mouth slightly open. 

Slowly, she peels the blankets off of his right side and slips inside. There isnt much space on either side, but she doesn't mind, curling herself up into a ball to stay warm. 

She inches closer to him so that they're touching, but barely. Her limbs are still wrapped around herself. She watches the rhythmic rise and fall of his belly, enraptured like she's being hallucinated, and eventually dozes off. 

Jake wakes with a start, wondering why suddenly his feet are so cold, when he notices the body next to him. 

"AAAAAAARGH!!" He screams, pulling his blankets around him.

The figure next to him moans and Jake thinks he's done for, the ghost of Motel Magnifucking-whatever has come for him, and he didn't even get to kiss Amy! 

The figure starts laughing and says in Amy's husky voice, "Don't worry, you still have a chance to kiss me."

_Oops, did he say that out loud!?_

"Amy?!" He sputters. "What the hell? When did you get here ?!"

"Well, I figured you'd be scared, sleeping all alone, what with ghosts floating around, and I came here to protect you!" She's grinning brightly, too awake for the middle of the night.

"Aww isn't that sweet of you," he grumbles, moving to lie down again, facing away from her.

She nudges him in the back. "Hey! You've stolen the blanket!"

He turns to lie flat on his back."Well, seeing as it mine..."

"Fine. I'll just go back to my blankets then- "

"No wait - "  
He straightens up and lunges at her, grabbing her fingers and pulling her back down onto the bed. 

"I can share the blankets-" he shrugs,"-if you ask nicely." 

Jake is sitting cross legged, Amy turns around to face him. "Share the blankets, Jake."

"I said ask and nicely and that sentence had none of the above." He gives her a pointed look.

Amy rolls her eyes and lies down, pulling the blanket towards her anyway. With a grunt, Jake secedes (as if he could ever deny her anything), and watches her while she gets all cozy, and finally asks the million dollar question.  
"Why did you come here, Amy? "

She turns her neck to look at him. "To wake you up, to make sure you don't oversleep! "

"Really?" Jake crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Yeah. You know how much I hate tardiness. Better safe than sorry, y'know? I can get a headstart at waking you up if I just sleep in the same room!" She stretches her arms above her head, and Jake's imagination goes wild.

"And, there's no other reason." He looks like he's holding back a laugh.

Amy tuts. "What other reason could there be? Definitely not the beautiful fragrance in the room."

"What about my body heat?"

"Blanket'll do." Amy deadpans.

Jake scoffs. "Okay, well, then don't stick to me like you did last night."

"Fine!" Amy wriggles further underneath the blankets, regretting her words already. It was cold, and he was warm....

"Cool." He replies.

There's a good half foot between them when he lays down, though they are sharing the blanket.

"Jake?" Amy's voice cuts through the silence.

"Hmmm?" He doesn't turn, keeps his eyes trained on the ceiling.

"You didn't complete your sentence, back in my room. When you got the call."

"Didn't I?" His voice is higher pitched than usual.

"Yeah, you said really wanted to...something."

"To?" He asks with an air of confusion.

"Yeah, to what?"

"To what?" Now he's definitely repressing a smile.

Amy bursts out. "Jake! What did you really want to do?"

He's silent.

"...Jake?"

"Well, right now, I really want to sleep." His tone is calculated, formal, like he's holding something back with difficulty.

Amy raises her eyebrows incredulously. "That's it?"

"Yeah. Exactly the way you_ just want my blankets."_

"Aaaah, I get it now." Amy cannot stop the grin spreading across her face.

They can't see each others faces, but both can clearly hear the amusement in each other's tones. The flirty edge to his voice is egging her on, and in a spurt of boldness, she moves her hand under the blankets, probing...

She hits skin. Praying it's his hand and not...something else, she wraps her fingers around it.  
It's his wrist.  
She hears him take a sharp breath. 

"Ames?"  
"Hmmm?"  
"I said no sticking!"  
"I'm not sticking! You said no sticking for body heat. This isn't for body heat!"  
"I see, what's this for, then?"  
"Why, to make sure the ghosts don't drag you away in the middle of the night-!" She doesn't even try to stop her giggles now.

"Alright, that's it!"

He uses his other hand to draw her towards him- she goes easily enough. She's high on adrenaline, for once she's just thinking in the moment, about his hand on hers, his eyes darting all over her face.

They're facing each other, finding themselves so close to each other for the second time that night. Jake has his arm slung around her waist. Amy has grabbed the neck of his T-shirt. At the back of her mind, Amy notes that they've officially reached the Point of No Return. If something didn't happen now, their friendship would be changed - ruined- forever.

"Hi." She says, in a small voice. His face is closer than ever before.

His lips curl. "Hi."

She raises her hand to slowly trace his face. His eyes close briefly at the contact. "Jake? Is this what you wanted to do, back then?"

"This?" His voice is gruff. "What do you mean by -" 

In a fluid motion she didn't think she was capable of, she moves towards him, and then her lips are on his. She pushes into him with fervour, and it's the most explosive of kisses, the most electric of kisses. Their lips are molding together, his hands are wrapped around her back, her hands are in his hair. He draws back only when he can't breathe anymore, and she's breathless as well, staring up at him with something like wonder in her gaze.

"This?" She stutters out. 

Jake is looking back at her with the biggest grin she's seen in a while. "Well, yes, but I meant kinda like this- "

This time he lunges towards her, and it's more forceful, more aggressive and it's the best feeling Amy's had for a while. She nibbles on his lower lip, and then his mouth is opening, and her tongue is in his mouth, and he's responding with enthusiasm that sends tingles down her back.

Subtly, he shifts, so she's half on top of him. She pulls away, breathless again, but the look in his eyes draws her in again.

They go on for a long time, making out like horny teenagers. After one point, Jake's hands are roving all over her back and she's tugging on his hair and squeezing his shoulder, kinda wishing his hands would be more adventurous then that.

He moves his head back to look at her for a second before starting to suck on her jaw, just below her ear.

"This?" Amy rasps out. Her heart is pounding away, she's sure he can feel it.

Jake chuckles against her, and the rumble goes straight to her chest. She squirms against him and he groans.

"Yes. This." He breaths out, now moving lower, to her neck and collarbone. 

"Wait, wait, wait." She sits up.

Jake looks panicked. "What? I'm sorry, was I moving too fast? Sorry Amy, I -"

"No, no, the blanket just slipped off my feet- there! We're good now." She beams at him. 

He's looking at her in fond disbelief. 

He sits up too, leaning forward to press a long but chaste kiss on her lips. He adjusts the blanket over her shoulders, and let's out a long breath, before looking at her, right in the eyes.

"Ames...just to clarify...the 'this' does mean the awesome kissing, but it also -" He swallows. "I mean, I also want- "

"What, Jake?" Amy takes his hands into her own. The small motion gives him courage.

"I want the whole thing. Entire package. Not, not just the, ummm, boinking. Everything."  
He looks at her, hoping she'll understand what he's trying to say.

"You mean, the romantic stylez thing?" She flashes him a grin.  
She expects a joke in reply, but he _blushes! _ Amy Santiago just made _Jake Peralta_ blush! Oh, what a day!

He scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah. I mean, I don't want to push you into anything, but I've wanted this for a while, and I- "

She cuts him off with a kiss, because now she can do that. 

"Yeah. Me too, Jake." She smiles shyly at him, biting her lip.

"Noice." He smiles broadly, and raises his hand for a high five - _typical Jake! _

"What!" She moves to punch him in the shoulder instead, but he sees it coming and catches her fist in his hand. "Okay, well, if high fiving is too boring for you, we can fist bump!" He brings his other hand to bump her fist.

She's full-on laughing by this point. "Jake?"

"Yeah?" He runs his fingertips over her palms. Amy can feel the heat from her hands spread right to her chest. And other areas.

"You're wasting precious - what did you call it? - boinking time, you know." She tries to look stern, but the goofy grin he's giving her makes it very hard not to smile right back.

He rolls his eyes, calls her greedy and impatient, pinning her shoulders down with his hands as he proceeds to lay kisses all over her face, trapping her legs in between.

_"But we've got the rest of our lives to boink!"_ he thinks to himself. 

Because now that he's finally got her, he's never going to let her go.

_Unless she wants to, because he is very respectful and not a jerk, but that being said, he resolves to do everything in his power to be everything Amy wants and needs, because he knows she is the girl of his dreams and deserves the world - _

His train of thoughts has distracted him from his current goal, and he's brought back to earth by Amy wriggling out of her sleep shirt, and then he stops thinking, completely, for a while. 

93 minutes to be exact, but who's counting? 

A FEW DAYS LATER, IN BROOKLYN

Gina, wriggling her eyebrows: Pay up, Terry! If you don't want to pay by cash, you can just take me out to dinner. And a movie. Like a date- 

Charles: _squealing in the background_

Terry: SHUT UP, GINA!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END!!!  
Thank you so much for reading!  
Let's hope my next attempt at a one-shot is actually a one-shot and not a whole ass chapter book??? But I cant stop writing about these two, they're just so stinking cute.  
NINE-NINE!

**Author's Note:**

> Pining Peraltiago vs Domestic Peraltiago. What do you guys think?   
Also, thanks again for reading. Let me know what you think!!


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